We arrived home a few hours ago. Ran to Grandma’s house to see our sweet “big” girl whom we missed dearly. Unpacked our things, freshened up and went to dinner at Cracker Barrel. Being both of us we’re craving some good ol’ southern/homemade food. We consumed a lot of gourmet food while vacationing in Eureka Springs so it was nice to have something deep fried/ greasy for a change. Wow! we had an amazing vacation but I was ready to be, ” Home Sweet Home.” Looking back on our vacation I would have’t to give it a score of 9 out of 10 possible points. Pro’s and con’s are as follows: Pro’s- plenty of day/night activities to keep us busy, beautiful outdoor trails not far from historic Eureka Springs, Winery literally five minutes away from cottage, Mixture of several cultures, a wide array of artistry, organic farming, Easy to find coffee shops ( Great coffee), Lodging prices we’re affordable and our cottage was cleaned every day upon arriving back. Con’s- I wasn’t impressed with some of the restaurants service or food. I found a piece of glass in some of Matt’s leftover Alfredo fettuccine which turned my stomach upside down from a particular ” well known” restaurant. Some of the people in the restaurant business we’re very unprofessional and needless to say didn’t receive a plump tip. The weather dampened our plan’s to go backpacking but we managed to still have a good time. Many of the store’s we’re over-priced on certain items but that didn’t stop me from shopping..;) It’s vacation..I plan to enjoy myself and that I did. Goodbye Eureka Springs until next time!

As I woke up this morning, I could hear the melodies of rain. Another rainy day= adventure. We we’re going to try to establish a campsite today but the rain isn’t finished with her song just yet. So, we reserved the cottage for a few more days/nights. Today the adventure begin with brunch at, ” Simply Scrumptous Tea Room and Emporium.” The atmosphere was very relaxing and the food was delish. We drank our hot tea and watched the birds and squirrels from outside the restaurant nibble on feed. This has been my favorite meal thus far…. I ordered a chicken/bacon ranch wrap with cilantro soup..Yum! Desert consisted of Lemon Butter Cream Cake and more hot tea. I felt very inspired to open my own, Tea room in the near future. Next, we hit the antique shops..I bought a few vintage pieces for my kitchen and bathroom. Then we drove down to Onyx Cave and took a tour. We we’re given vintage headphones as we listened to a voice recording that lead us through the entire cave. It was cool in a nerdy kind of way. I loved walking through the cave, it made me feel like a great explorer seeking the next adventure one slippery, dark step at a time. Next stop, Pivot Rock. We did get to enjoy some nature on this trip which was nice…I was beginning to think we wouldn’t be able to. It was beautiful!

Organic tea with Lemon Butter Cream Cake...perfection.

This was so enjoyable.

Woodpecker?

Leaving the Tea Room....

I couldn't help myself.

I left feeling enlightened in some odd way...

Another angle...

An old passage..which we could have taken this tour...unfortunately this dream didn't come true.

I woke up this morning to receive a message from my father-in-law (Paw-Paw)that said, Sorry if I woke ya’ll. Dangerous, life threatening flash foods likely in your area through Thursday morning. Please don’t drive or hike thru high water. Call me. News Weather Chanel says 12 to 15 inches of rain possible, at least 6 inches. Sigh of relief. Thankfully we hadn’t decided to backpack earlier in the week. Today it’s been slightly rainy and super windy. We are just going to wait everything out. We woke up early this morning, grabbed some breakfast at Mud Street Cafe, shopped a little more in downtown Eureka, Springs. Visited Keels Creek Winery, drove to cottage..popped open bottle of semi-sweet red, which led to lots of lounging around and cat naps. We started getting hungry and decided we we’re in the mood for some barbecue and let me tell ya, It was finger lickin’ good! Drove down to Leather-Wood Lake and took some pics and looked at a few campsites for later on this week. On the way back in, we noticed a watch tower and decided to stop and take a looksy. The tower looked to have been built in the 1960’s not sure though. I was proud of myself for taking the challenge.As I climbed every short, narrow step I glanced through my peripheral vision at the strikingly beautiful yet scary scenery that stretched out beyond me. I had faith that I could make it to the top and my golly I did.

We discovered why Humpty Dumpty fell on St. Patricks day. He had too much green beer!

We arrived at our cozy nook long after wandering through the Ozark hills. I think we we’re both beginning to wonder if our reservations we’re all just a fluke. Lesson learned never again, will I print off directions from Mapquest.com. We decided to get smart and stop by the local police station and see if they could help us. The oh so helpful police officer was our hope in a dark place. He helped us navigate our way to our cozy little nook. I was much relieved when we finally found it to say the least. I graciously spread my entire being on the bed in a big sprint. Next morning, woke up to the sound of brewing coffee, sunshine, and the love of my life. Those three combos can never be a bad sign. We walked in downtown Eureka Springs sifting through the rows of shops up and down the sidewalks. Later, we started getting hungry and ate at and Indian restaurant. We ordered a samosa for an appetizer. I would really like to replicate this…it was “Magical.” The best appetizer we’ve had this part of town. I would like to retire in this lovely place…there is so much energy, life and soul in this town. The food is amazing, the people are unique, and the beer is ice cold ( just the way it should be). Most of the stores I enjoyed going in we’re kitchen supply stores. I found some artichoke pesto spread, bruschetta spread,and jalapeno cilantro dip. One of my favorite finds was a polka dotted apron and global cookbook which will be brilliant for my ethnic food nights with friends and family. Again, the culinary field is calling my name in all aspects.
Here’s some pics of our current trip. Enjoy!

Our cozy kitchen

Isn't it cute?

So happy to finally arrive....

The "magical" samosa.

Boulanger (French) Baker.

The happy couple

Mmmm...I love me some Negro Medelo.

Matt smokin' a cigar.

Matt wasn't a fan of the cold smoke salmon but I liked it

Smokin' my first white chocolate/ irish cream cigar. I liked it

The trip has been wonderful thus far....

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Today is the official day we start vacation. I have made sticky notes in my head for remembering things that are kinda important for instance:cell phone chargers, laptops/chargers…Yes! I am taking my laptop with me… batteries, camera make sure insurance is in car, putting suitcases in the jeep, a nice good read for the ride up, take out trash, setting a mousetrap for a lil fellow I believe has made himself home…not for long, fill the jeep up with gas, toothbrush, extra change of clothes for after I get off work, Emergen-C drink packets (yum), and extra lovie’s as Adia would call it from my sweet baby girl!

This morning I awoke to my alarm clocking blaring, ” Wake Up!” I was meeting up with a friend/kids to go hiking in the great outdoors. You may be wondering where our journey began and so I will simplify it for you. We put on the shield of bravery, hiking through blistering winds, treacherous paths, unforgiving mountains…..to find a place called…… Cedar Falls, on Petite Jean Mountain. Ignore the above sentence I just wanted to leave a sense of bewilderment. Oh, but what our eyes did see will AMAZE you.